ITC issue invitation to apply for Derry RSL

The ITC have issued a formal invitation to apply for a local television Restricted Service Licence (RSL) for Derry in Northern Ireland.
The licence, currently held by North West Television Service Limited, (broadcasting as Channel 9) will expire on October 17 2003.
Licences for local television services are awarded for a term of four years, but they are subject to the continuing availability of the frequency channel, and consequently may be revoked if the identified frequency channel is required for any higher priority use. Further, for this particular licence the frequency has been cleared only until the end of October 2005. The licence would run to its full four-year term if the radio spectrum administrations of the UK and the Republic of Ireland were to reach agreement in time for this to happen. In the absence of any such agreement to extend the clearance, the licence will be revoked on 31 October 2005.
The service is to be provided on channel 21 from the existing transmitter site at Minkey Hill or, alternatively, from the transmitting site at Sheriff’s Mountain. Theoretical coverage is predicted to include Derry and the surrounding rural areas, also extending southwards towards Strabane. However, the quality of reception at any particular location will be highly dependent on the type of receiving aerial being used. Many households within the potential coverage area will probably not have the correct aerials required to properly receive the RSL service, and hence in practice coverage will be reduced.
The ITC has not surveyed the transmission site, and applicants should make their own enquiries regarding its availability.
The frequency for Derry is available on a 'no interference no protection' basis, which means that there may be a risk of interference to reception of the Derry RSL from other transmitters in the future, and it is also possible that changes to the transmitter characteristics may be required should interference arise to services elsewhere. In the worst case, the licensee may be required to cease transmissions before the end of the four-year term of the licence. The licence will in any case be revoked on October 31 2005 if the frequency clearance is not extended to a later date.
Applications, accompanied by the non-refundable application fee of £250, should be sent to the ITC's Head of Licensing and must be received at the ITC's London office no later than noon on Wednesday 28 May 2003.
The ITC hope to announce the award of the licence by early August 2003.
(GB)